Up the Grades: Top prospect makes long-awaited return
JUNIOR talent continues to filter up the grades in the back-end of season 2026, with the latest batch headlined by top draft prospect Dougie Cochrane. The Port Adelaide aligned utility made his long-awaited first appearance for the season having been sidelined by knee tendinitis. While he made his club debut for the Port Magpies, several […]
Up the Grades: State stars, club-tied talent climb the ranks
STATE captains, club-tied talent, and many other representative stars were among the promising juniors to turn out at state league level over the weekend. South Australian standout Kodah Edwards debuted for South Adelaide, as did Essendon-tied prospect Blake Justice and Fremantle Next Generation Academy (NGA) member Joshua Nathan in the WAFL. Catch up on how […]
Champions Vic Metro dominate Under 18 All-Australian team
CHAMPIONS Vic Metro have contributed a high of 10 players to the 2026 AFL Under 18 All-Australian team, with prospects scattered across each line. West Australian star Heath Mellody was awarded the prestigious Larke Medal and named captain of the 23-player side. Named at half-back, Mellody proved to be a rampant playmaker throughout the carnival, […]
RECAP | 2026 AFL Under 18 National Championships
THE 2026 AFL Under 18 National Championships came to a close on Sunday, as Vic Metro completed an undefeated campaign to be crowned champions. Every other team bagged at least one win in a relatively even competition. We recap how it all unfolded across the 10 fixtures, with the Larke Medal and All-Australian team to […]
Scouting Notes: 2026 AFL U18s – Allies vs. Western Australia
THE ALLIES have ended their National Championships campaign on a high after defeating Western Australia by six points in a thrilling encounter at Mars Stadium on Wednesday. The Sandgropers led by as many as 28 points during term three, but were quickly reined in and made to settle for a 2-2 record. A run of […]
Scouting Notes: 2026 AFL U18s – Vic Country vs. Western Australia
WESTERN Australia has produced a remarkable turnaround to defeat Vic Country by 16 points at Marvel Stadium on Friday evening. The Sandgropers were restricted to just one goal in the first half and trailed by 33 points early in term three, before piling on nine of the next 11 majors to bag their second win […]
Scouting Notes: 2026 AFL U18s – Western Australia vs. Vic Metro
VIC METRO brought Western Australia back down to earth with a runaway 36-point win in Cockburn on Saturday. The visitors started their campaign in style with three unanswered goals in the opening term before being reigned back in heading into half time. Riding the momentum of a two-to-three goal scoring end, Metro snuck back ahead […]
Top of the crop: State-by-state breakdown
WITH one round of National Championships action in the books, the picture of this year’s AFL Draft class is becoming clearer. What’s also relatively clear is which prospects are cementing themselves at the top of each state’s crop, and given AFL clubs aren’t strangers to picking local, we outline how the talent stacks up around […]
Rising Stocks: Steed, Matthews stake first round case
LEO Steed and Ethan Matthews were the stories of the weekend as the Under 18 National Championships got underway. The former co-captained Western Australia to an upset win over title-holders South Australia, while the latter was outstanding as his Allies went down to Vic Country. With both players strengthening their top 15 chances, we highlight […]
Scouting Notes: 2026 AFL U18s – Western Australia vs. South Australia
WESTERN Australia has caused a major boilover to kick off the Under 18 National Championships, defeating South Australia by 12 points at Mineral Resources Park on Saturday. The hosts burst out of the blocks with five unanswered goals in the opening term and led all day, but had their buffer cut down to less than […]
